Wrong patient phone numbers trip up ER docs

Wrong patient phone numbers trip up ER docs
Fake or inaccurate contacts raise risk when sick patients can't be found

Somewhere in Westminster, Calif., there’s a 38-year-old Vietnamese man who doesn’t know he has a blood infection — and doctors have no way to tell him.
The phone numbers and address the man gave two weeks ago to the University of California, Irvine, Medical Center emergency department turned out to be wrong, so when results of a blood culture came through the day after he was discharged, several phone calls and an urgent visit by city police weren’t enough to track him down.

When I first read through this article, I began to wonder what kind of circumstances someone might be facing in their life that would prompt them to literally risk their life by giving the wrong contact info. Could it be that, maybe, some people really don't recognize the fact that, if they're ill or injured enough to go to a hospital in the first place, that their life might really be in jeopardy?
When put into perspective, it seems that if the person has enough respect for their own life to actually seek treatment in the first place. But then, to assume the risk that the first examination & treatment may not be enough to end the problem that drove him/her to the hospital in the first place, is literally "taking their lives into their own hands." To me, this doesn't seem to make much sense to seek professional help for a problem, then assume that there's no further help needed without knowing whether or not the problem still exists.
Granted, news like this isn't really news...Stuff like this happens pretty much on a daily basis. Also granted, between the federal interference with the medical profession since Medicare has wreaked some havoc & the upcoming repercussions of the new Health Care Reform are only now taking shape doesn't help matters. But what really caught my eye in this particular article is this (bold emphasis inserted is mine):

At least one patient tracked down by police after leaving a Veterans Affairs urgent care center found the experience unnecessary. The patient, who posted an account on the website AboveTopSecret.com, suffered from a staph infection and other ailments and left the emergency room after becoming nauseated during a long wait. At 2:30 a.m., there was a knock on the door.
"Told the policeman I had a staph infection and he backed away," wrote the poster, who confirmed the experience to msnbc.com, but did not want to be identified. "Told him I would see my primary care provider in the morning and that I could not believe they sent the police."

...Which just goes to prove that even those who try to "Deny Ignorance" may still lack the patience it may take to learn the truth. Even though I haven't yet tried to track down the posting as mentioned in the article, I hope that this person got proper treatment in time...Staph infections can get pretty darn serious if left unattended.

How did they know he posted an account with ATS?
Yes systemic infections can kill within several hours. Usually, a broad spectrum IV antibiotic, like Rocephin, are given, to just cover the patient. Many times I have received results back from the lab and tried to call the patient back, only to get a wrong phone number.

Originally posted by Violater1
How did they know he posted an account with ATS?

How Else would they know other than by Reading ATS.

... just goes to show Member's voices Are "heard" by the MSM masses.

reply to post by 12m8keall2c


Yep they steal info from here.

But like above said, how would they know if he did not give info he was on ats.

Originally posted by andy1033
how would they know if he did not give info he was on ats.

Apparently, they Read a post or thread on the boards pertaining to such.

hence the ...

At least one patient tracked down by police after leaving a Veterans Affairs urgent care center found the experience unnecessary. The patient, who posted an account on the website AboveTopSecret.com, suffered from a staph infection and other ailments

Here is the thread you are looking for:
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by 12m8keall2c

Originally posted by Violater1
How did they know he posted an account with ATS?

How Else would they know other than by Reading ATS.

... just goes to show Member's voices Are "heard" by the MSM masses.

Hmmmm, makes me more suspicious then ever, wonder how many are posting here.

I'm really confused here. It is not only about how they knew he was an ATS member (which is odd in itself), it is why they even felt it necessary to mention it in the first place.

It's like saying "the patient, who has an email account with Yahoo!,...", makes no sense to me.

If you read the link, the poster revived the thread on 4-20 to tell us that he/she had been contacted by the media. We should be concerned about the poster getting medical attention and I think the journalist is concerned for this person's welfare as well.

Originally posted by brilab45
I'm resurrecting this post for several reasons.

1. I'm not getting better. I am very nauseaus and am concerned about the deep facial scars that have occurred and I'm not sure why I feel like hell still. Doctors, please help me out. Why am I so nauseaus and bedridden?

2. An MNSBC reporter caught wind of my post and wants to to a story on my post. I refused to give my name and she dropped me hopefully. I do not want to be in the media nationwide. Don't want the emails and endless phone calls. Plus you smart folks here would find out who I am. I like an anonymous life.

3. I am at a standstill as to why a policeman showed up at my house. I want a better answer. My privacy rights were invaded. Why did this happen? It was wrong and a terrible inconvenience.

Someone in the medical community please give me an answer ( from all fronts, health and privacy).

Thank you,

B

Please go to my original post for answer as how I got tracked down.

Thanx

Originally posted by nunya13

It's like saying "the patient, who has an email account with Yahoo!,...", makes no sense to me.

Yes, that is rather strange. Maybe someone there is an ATS member / fan? What people don't often realise is than an e-mail is like a physical postcard - virtually anyone can read it if they have the resources and want to.

Nice catch by the OP

reply to post by TortoiseKweek


It was a different email program account altogether.

reply to post by TortoiseKweek


It was a different email program account altogether.

I can understand hiding your phone numbers and staying off insurance company radar. You can be denied coverage from that incident as pre-existing condition, if you have to change insurance companies. Seems like the insurance companies want to force you to change companies so they can raise your rates. Then, once you switch, you have a new legacy of conditions the new company will not cover. What a racket, to make profit on people's health, at times costing life savings.

Found this rant from a person charged by the ER for services they didn't do. Auto wreck, treated by washing face a little bit, charged $2400.

poudrevalleyhospitalbillingerror.webs.com...

Seems it is all about whether the wreck qualified as legal trauma. Clearly makes a case that it was not one, but ER charged them for stuff that wasn't provided. Billed for what could have been done but wasn't? Hospitals can be great when you need them. I wonder if that person's insurance will in the future not cover face washing?

I also know people who are afraid to list their real name if they go to the ER or a doc because of fears they can lose their insurance or not be covered in the future. And yes, not checking back if you give a false phone number can have terrible consequences.

States are passing laws which require anyone going for medical care to present proper ID to prevent medical identity theft.

www.nytimes.com/2009/06/13/health/13patient.html

Will it become a crime to provide a wrong phone number to the ER in the future?

reply to post by brilab45


I thank you for piping in here & confirming your original posting. I really didn't want to invade your space & I respect your privacy...But I also felt that it was important that the fact your story made the actual news channels should be recognized.

It's just that I think there are easier & less-stressful ways to get ATS into the news, though...

I hope you have been able to get treatment that actually works to your benefit. Get healthy, stay healthy & I wish the best for you...If only wishes were more than just wishes, you wouldn't have had to go through that ordeal in the first place.